Tardy

Ok, so I’ve been gone from the blogesphere for a while. I could make up a bunch of excuses but really, do you care?

Anyhow, in my absence from blogging I’d like to note that gas prices have gone back up. Hmmmm. I told you so. It’s a supply thing they say. Every year it’s a supply thing. Sometimes the supply thing is blamed on a storm thing or a war thing or even a terrorist thing. Every year prices creep up, and every year some sort of supply thing occurs. Now, Prudog as the economic genius that he is, could likely shed some light on the issue. In his absence however, it seems to me that if every year you know as a big company that you’re bound to have a supply thing then perhaps the supply could be addressed before it could become a thing.

On a similar note, its seems weird that gas prices dipped prior to the election and went right back up after the election. Maybe everybody was so riveted to the television for the latest political scandal that they just didn’t drive as much? Hmmm. Whatever. I ride a bicycle to work everyday. Bring on 4-bucks a gallon!

In other notes of interest, there is yet another report out that states, basically, America is paying a high price financially and socially for a failed war. Dave Ross of KIRO radio wonders why we didn’t learn from Vietnam? I wonder why we didn’t learn from the first election. But that is water under the bridge, ‘cause this most recent election certainly was a learning experience for Republicans and conservatives alike.

dooot tooo dooot tooot otoot (crow humming along)

It's a winter wonderland out there and I'm so nice and snuggly in the crow's nest. Pixie has the place all primed with candles, wintry tunes and such. I'd invite you all over but, we'll be out for a while enjoying the snow from inside our favorite local Italian restaurant.

ciao

Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday Morning Hog

Just your average morning bike commute. Helmet, Check. Garage door closed, Check. Fat lady in a minivan yelling at me obey traffic laws, Check. Me responding by telling her to shut her pie hole, Check. Getting the fuck you finger before 7 am, Check and priceless.

Here’s the thing, I was wrong. I scooted around you a few mornings ago, and I did it again today. I like to run the light there at Pacific and Rockefeller because when I do, I have a better chance of riding the length of Pacific Ave. without having to stop at every stinking, west-bound traffic control light. It’s the golden ride when the morning commute is stop free. Mmmm, the golden ride. So, minivan-driving-fatty, get used to me buzzing by your crappy van, which probably represents your crappy life, because I’m not going to stop chasing the golden ride because of your sour puss flipping me off in the morning.

May I make a suggestion? Why not park your van a few blocks away, for free, and waddle that fat ass of yours into work a few times a week? And hey, if it suits you, maybe you can j-walk just to piss off those suckers trapped at the light in their gas guzzling automobiles. It’ll be fun, and I promises, I won’t tell on you.

Veteran, Father, Husband, Man

Armistices Day, known in the United States as Veterans Day began on November 11, 1918, the day World War I came to a screeching halt. Guns were thrown down, parades celebrating the end of fighting erupted, and the world began to move toward life without war.

Veterans day is about the men and women who are serving, or have served and are still living.

So on Veterans Day, I remember and honor my father, a living veteran of the United States Air Force. I don’t know too much about my father’s service, or what he did for America. He kept this portion of his life private, perhaps to protect his children from the grim reality of a soldier’s duty. Strangely, I hear more stories about the Air Force when he is sharing “war stories” with a few of my friends who are currently serving.

While I don’t have a clear picture of my father’s service, I do remember certain specific details. I clearly recall that he sometimes wore a green, one-piece flight suit that he called “The bag.” Closer to the end of his career, he mostly wore tidy, dark blue slacks and a crisp, light blue, short-sleeve shirt. One snowy grey day, my grade school sent the students home early. The roads were horribly slippery. My bus lost traction and ground to a complete stop while negotiating a steep up-hill stretch. My father happened upon the bus, while in his blues, and asked the driver if he could help. Yes! was the answer. In a few short minutes my father had spread enough sand under the wheels of the bus get us going safely. As the bus slowly labored away, I remember looking out the steamy window to see my father standing, ready, at the side of the road incase the bus’s progress stalled again. This was the type of soldier my father was, and I was never so proud.

Today, he is soldiering in a different battle. Daily, he struggles to care for my mom who suffered a debilitating stoke several years ago. She is paralyzed on the left side of her body and suffers near total speech and writing limitations. Without my father, my mom could not survive outside a cold, impersonal, long-term care institution.

He is her daily savior. He tenderly checks her blood three times a day (due to her diabetes) and logs the results in a hand written chart of his own making. He cooks, cleans, mows the lawn when it’s not flooded and feeds the dog. He talks on the telephone in speakerphone-mode so my mom can hear, and so he can add color or needed explanation to supplement her five-word vocabulary. He effective translates an ever-growing non-verbal language, which they share, including the many meanings of my mom’s favorite spoken word, “Zahugh.” As I encourage my father to chop off the few remaining holdouts on his failing comb-over, he assists my mom to color her hair as she always has. They shop on Tuesdays, gamble and have lunch out on Wednesdays and make hair or doctors appointments on Thursdays. Of course, in all activities, my dad patiently totes a heavy wheelchair, assists my mom in and out of the car and generally helps her get to where they are going.

He never asks for help.

They are two people, my dad and mom, but these days it is truly as though they function as one unit. My dad’s Air Force sensibility will bristle at this next sentiment. My father truly is an army of one. This is the type of soldier, father, husband and man he is, and I’ve never been so proud.

Voting, cows and old ladies

Ahh, it looks like all the voting good stuff has been realized. However, I’ll reserve glee for a later date. In the mean time, cows are floating away up in the Snohomish River Valley. Whoever is doing the rain dance in the closet; you can stop now. Today I saw livestock being led to higher ground. Wow. The humans helping the animals had a strange sober look that I’m sure I’ve never seen before. I took one photo of an outhouse floating by, but I didn’t think much of the shot. Instead, I’ve included this nice old women hiding in Brooklyn. Enjoy!

Let it rain

Hello all you I-933 supporters out there. Ah, the end of those pesky government takings is almost upon us. For those speculative folks out there, I’ve taken the liberty of snapping this photo of some land currently under water, due to flooding, which will be prime land for development when the flood waters recede. It’s flat, in the flood plain, and close to a major road. Plus, who doesn’t want riverfront views? Of course, the mean ol’ government now has regulations that prevent development of this outstanding lot nestled smack dab in the middle of the Snohomish River riparian area. With the potential passage of I-933, you could sue the government because they won’t let you build a gas station here. Think of all the money you’ll lose if your were to be prevented from burying several 50,000 gallon underground fuel storage tanks on this lot. Don’t worry; meteorologists say that this type of storm and record flooding will only occur once a decade. Of course, if heavy rains and flood waters diluting your fuel supply get you down, you could just take the easy way out, keep it natural, and accept a fat pay-off from the tax payers of Washington State. Remember; with I-933 when your real-estate investment tanks because of oppressive, intrusive and completely-out-of-line regulation, like no building in a flood plain, then you are entitled to compensation. Enjoy! PS, this photo was taken at noon. High tide will be at 8pm tonight. Count on another 1-3 feet of water rise. Hmm, that would be where I was standing … on top of the dike.

Sunday Mind Blog

This should be the Sunday mind numbing blog or perhaps the Sunday never mind blog.... The thought has crossed my mind to just post this post without editing or spell checking. That would be truly dangerous and a direct window in to my small crow intellect.

Anyhow, Check out YELP.com. It's a cool review it type website.

Lots of the places you like to go, or would like to go and have never been due to no knowledge. Well, yelp to the rescue. People like you have likely yelped most places. It takes a little of the guesswork out of what ever it is that you want to do. If no yelping has occurred and you are the first, well you can log a first yelp review on the site.

Cheers.

who hayers and poo pooers!

Andrew, Dem nay-sayers and GOP hay-makers, your whole shtick about the poor soldiers and how long it took Kerry to apologize smacks of so much hypocrisy. First, it’s an army comprised of “volunteers” from woefully economically disadvantaged regions of our country. The presumption that our soldiers are straight off of the Microsoft campus is silly. These are kids who are agreeing to carry an American gun in a dangerous, hostile place with the hope of making better life back home. So you gotta ask, what is going on back home that they are willing to volunteer and risk death to make a better life for themselves? So, props to our soldiers. Second, it’s all GOP political spin to take voters' eyes off the real issues. (See blog entry, The Truth, 10/26.) GOPies have seized on Kerry’s statement, the lack of apology and the “flip flop.” Blah Blah Blah. Kerry made a statement, realized it was received poorly, heard calls for an apology and finally tried to make amends with those he has offended. By contrast, Bush and Co have made decisions to go to war, ignored mounting evidence that it was going poorly and stayed the course, heard calls for change and stayed the course, endured mounting death tolls and still stayed the course. Kerry made a statement that offended. Bush and co. make decisions that end with dead soldiers and 338 billion dollars in spending for what end?

Stupid

So Kerry made a mistake. So what? Various hay makers are noting that Kerry basically said that if you are stupid, you’ll end up in Iraq. Soldiers are up in arms. GOP leaders are gnashing their teeth, while Bush demands an apology. Who is Bush to demand an apology from the dude he beat two years ago? Besides, it’s not as if Bush has never said anything stupid. The fact that the GOP is latching on to Kerry’s lame statement is just proof that there is not substance to anything else they are saying.

Lets examine the sentiment of Kerry’s statement. If you are stupid you’ll end up in Iraq. Hello, we’ve been mired there four years with a dogged get ‘er done/ stay the course policy. We’ve killed more than 2000 service men and women, maimed countless others, ravaged Iraqi country side and heaped massive costs upon ourselves and for what great result? We attacked a country that had no WMD and can’t do anything about the other two axi of evil who freely admit to having or wanting nuclear weapons. Reliable sources note we are less safe now with regard to terrorism than ever before.

So yes, Kerry made a mistake. He has apologized and will likely continue to prostrate himself for the next several days. The fact remains though that Kerry didn’t put soldiers on the ground in Iraq. Bush and Co did. Kerry hasn’t maintained a stay the course attitude in the stark face of failure. Bush and Co has. Kerry didn’t vote for Bush in the last two elections, but just enough American voters did. So, who is stupid now?

WAR

Still counting away at the cash spent in Iraq. Whoholamama that’s a lot of cash! Why are we, as a country, spending so much money in little ol’ Iraq? Oh yeah, the war. That’s right folks, we are at war. You know war; it’s where we send our people to other countries to kill other people and be killed by the people we sent our people to kill. You know, war! War is a bunch of killing, shooting to kill, killing to prevent more killing and killing to prevent the fear of killing in the name of terror. I think, though, there has not been enough killing to awaken the consciousness of America. Perhaps the good citizens of America whom only endure a yearly excess of 20,000 firearm related deaths, (according the CDC,) need to experience more killing in the name of war to get the picture. Perhaps more killing is necessary for citizens to realize that war is brutal, fucked up, tortured POWs, child killing, wholesale human slaughter, and that just staying the course might not be such a great idea. Perhaps more photographs of the killing zone or army hospital operating rooms piled high with amputated legs, arms and ruined lives need to flood our sanitized media. Perhaps all the cheap crap imported from China should be rationed so we can actually feel the killing we are paying so much money for. Perhaps voters won’t be mislead by all manner of distraction in the few days prior to NOVEMBER 7th. I know John Kerry likes to stick his foot in his mouth, but don’t forget, no matter how the GOP spins his dufusoidal jokes, war still grinds on. WAR WAR WAR! Four years of war and killing folks! Perhaps, the entirety of the Christian right and all the social conservatives hell bent on abolishing choice and preventing gays from marriage will realize that the side show in which they so fervently believe is just a spectacle distracting the masses from the real, grim reality of death by war. Remember, it’s the war with all that killing that’s costin’ 330 billion and counting.

FREE STEHEKIN

Ever heard of the Free Stehekin? Perhaps not. It's a little known high school news paper that has recently gone under ground to escape the oppressive thumb of the man. The man being the principal who's wish is to have final editorial say in what is printed in the paper.

I say print on in the murky depths of the underworld young, freedom lovers. Why start so early with, arbitrary censorship of your thoughts?

Speaking of censorship, kids, keep in mind that low priced music sold at Wall Mart comes with a heavy price as well. What?! you say? Yes, this is just a friendly reminder that Wall Mart, the larges retailer of music on the planet, will not shelve music with lyrics that they find too objectionable.

Sunday chores

BLAh Blah, paid taxes. Darn that government getting all in my grill and stuff. Finished the Pixie move and all. For a pixie her stuff sure is heavy! Hung, (well) some shelving to house all Pixie's dust. Attempted to order replacement parts for sun-glasses. I guess technically cool glasses technically break easily. Two in one morning. Of course that could just mean that I have a fat head.

That's all. PS, Steve and co. are getting fat!

TOP POT

Due to the title of this particular blog entry, TOP POT the ATF, DEA, and other administration puppets are no doubt hanging on every word here in this little ol' blog, salivating over potential leads to the yet another unnecessary small time bust. Well, I hate to burst you bust bubble boys (and fed. girls as well) but, I'm speaking of the doughnut kind.

Which really brings me to the point of this whole entry. There really isn't much better than sitting in Top Pot on a Friday morning with a fresh cup of coffee and an freshly made, old fashion, chocolate doughnut.

PS, I can't be bothered to rant and rave about any particular issue this morning, except to say that TOP POT represents all that is good about choice. It's a local company that bakes in store, using wholesome ingredients. OK, I know a doughnut isn't generally the ideal of healthful eating, but the model of their production is good. Tasty too. Let me beat all the potential commenters to the punch. I am aware that TOP POT sells (some would say, sold out) to Starbucks. To that I say, so what? Can you really blame some coffee modeling corporate hack for wanting to profit off a blissful doughnut experience? So what if some dude in Duluth is eating a three day old, air freighted cruller?

The Truth

The truth is that your vote is important. Blahh Blahh Blahh...I know, it's nothing that MTV hasn't spewed out in their rock the vote campaigns. However, let me point out one glaring truth: Republican control of all branches of government. Which means a rubber stamping Congress, which is un-willing to check the power of the Executive office, and a stacked Supreme Court that views, favorably, the policies of the Executive. In other words, the Executive has more power to exert influence directly on you now than at any time in the history of the United States.
What is the importance of this looming election? If people vote their dissatisfaction with the current administration by voting out Republican seats in the senate and house, then the Democrats can regain control of the legislature and start holding the administration responsible for a laundry list of grievances. Do you need a reminder?

1) 300 billionish dollar blunder in Iraq.
2) Suspension of Habeas Corpus in the name of national security.
3) Spying on American Citizens.
4) Complete failure to follow up on election promises of helping the disadvantaged through "faith based initiatives."
5) Stalling approval for completely safe medications, and various birth controls for religious/political agendas.
6) Rampant cronyism (think Katrina and the appointment of Brownie.)
7) Jack Abramoff, need I say more?
8) Torture, Secret CIA Prisons, and wholesale suspension of basic human rights at home and abroad.
9) Shameless corporate influence and profiteering at the highest levels of the administration. Think Dick Cheney's energy policy, or the companies were awarded lucrative contracts in Iraq.
10) Lying about WMD and the real reasons for warning in the Middle East. What is the real reason?
Perhaps this list isn’t Letterman Quality but you get the picture. Don’t you?

The current administration loves to hold poor welfare receiving people responsible for the meager Welfare to Work dollars they earn. Your vote will help to hold the administration responsible for the lives, values, freedoms and money they have spent.

End of the day! Humpy Blog

Ok gang, here are a few items for your digestion.
First, the CIA is reading this blog.
Second, do you care?
Third, I-933 is a big pile of crap! Yes, I'm aware that various pundits will comment on yet another shameless reference to poop, but in this case it is true; I-933 is crap. Why you say? Well, kids, I-933 is retroactive back to 1996, which means that many land and resource protective measures will likely be repealed.
What were you doing in 1996 besides electing cigar/Monica chomping Clinton for another term?
Back to the poop. The Farm Bureau (FB), an insurance company, according to vol. 16 no. 6 issue of The Stranger, supports I-933. Why? Why would an organization that purports to support property rights and the plight of the farmer vote for a support an initiative that effectively dumps out the window any regulation that protects lands for all? Because folks, I-933 is a double edged money grabbing attempt that serves greedy developers who happen to be salivating over the limited farmland now being encroached upon by the wealthy, sprawling Puget Sound suburbia. And, the FB is in the pocket of greedy developers. It’s about the money! Here is the simple breakdown: Greedy developers want to get paid for land that they develop regardless of the long term consequences of their actions. And, Greedy developers want to be paid in the form of "compensation" for undeveloped land that has potential value as developed land. IE, they want to make sure that their investment is risk free. Last time I checked, no investment of mine is risk free. Why should, mega land deals on the minds of greedy developers be any different? Furthermore, currently designated farmland is sold at a high price of around 2,000 dollars an acre. I-933 would likely repeal the regulations that protect the low (read farm subsidy by tax payers) price of farmland. Greedy developers who either own or have speculative options on farmland stand make insane volumes of money on farmers who suddenly want to cash out of the farming business. Imagine if you owned 100 acres of land that is currently worth $1800-$2000 and are making a modest living selling, say, pumpkins. Enter I-933 and suddenly the land is now worth 100,000 or 200,000 an acre? How fast can you spell jackpot! Say goodbye to farmland. Say goodbye to locally produced produce. Say hello to mc mansions and sprawl. Say hello to e-coli in your spinach from industrially process spinach produced somewhere else. You remember e-coli don't you; think Jack in the Box, and deadly diarrhea. Which conveniently brings me back to the point that I-933 is a big pile of crap!

Seeing

I don't know about you folks out there, but I keep seeing Brad Lewis. It's really strange. I don't ride so much any more but, often when I do, I'll see him in a crowd, riding with others, laughing, friendly and as genuine I remember. He looks into me with his head cocked slightly to the left and smiles. Generally, I'll look again, and he'll be gone or in his place it's just a person who is kinda tall, lanky and blond. I guess Brad's passing left a big void in all of our lives.

Gas

Price of a gallon of gas - $2.40ish.
Bet the price goes down a few more cents prior to the elections and within a week of the elections, some event will cause a spike, then the price will go up gain and stay up for the holiday season because of higher travel rates.

So, what the hell is new? I just wanted to write it down so I could say I told you so when it happens.

Fear

I just watched the movie, "Bowling For Columbine" again. Fear is the key as more points out. We are trained in fear like no other society. I've blogged about fear, which lead me to be suspicious of street activity around my house. What is it that we fear? As I write this, a siren wails in the background and my feet stink. Now there is something to truly fear. Stink, that is.

I've recently spoken to some friends about gun ownership. My stand is that if you own a gun you should be prepared physically and more importantly mentally, to kill the person on the business end of the gun. I'm not prepared to point a gun at a person and kill them.

I'm going to take a walk - unarmed - out and about my dangerous (read in heavy sarcasm) in the dead of night.

Population

Dateline - USA

The population of the United States just tipped the 300,000,000 mark. That's 300 million for those of you who are numerically challenged. Just a quick little bit of arithmetic here. For the 300 billion or so that we are currently spending on the war (remember the war,) every man woman and child could be given $1000.00. So, the next time the brainiacs in the Republican Party say they want to give you back 300 bucks in the form of a tax break for middle America, know that you are truly getting a raw deal.

habeas corpus ... what?

While moves by this administration may seem like American Freedoms are being stripped away from your American Hands.....Wait a minute, that's exactly what is happening!

WAKE UP!!!

W and Co. have stolen your Habeas Corpus. Habeas Schmabeus you say. FYI, habeas corpus is a judicial mandate to a prison official ordering that an inmate be brought to the court so it can be determined whether or not that person is imprisoned lawfully and whether or not he should be released from custody. In other words, when you are accused of being terrorist for, say, blogging negatively about W, and are subsequently arrested and thrown in to a secret CIA prison, habeas corpus mandates that imprisoned blogger-X can request that a court determine if he/she should be locked up. Not any more. Habeau Corpus has left the building!! thanks to W, Cheney and Co.

Abe

"Capitalism is the fruit of labor." "Without labor there would be no capital." Abraham Lincoln.


Without life there would be no labor. Labor is the exchange of your time or life for some form of compensation. The question is, What are you worth?

Broken

Heard through the grape vine that the mighty have fallen. That Sucks.

Anyhow, is a photo for your digestion.

It appears to be a bicycle accident in progress. It's not wet. There are no railroad tracks. Everybody is on foot? How strange!

Ya gotta love men in tube tops!

Just in!!!

I'm back after a delay much too long. You see, I've been busy with photog stuff.

For my two readers:

COME TO SHOW OCT 19, 2006.

Edmonds artwalk, 5 pm to whenever. 108 5th Ave S. Edmonds WA!

Also, you'll note a new addition to the site. Lots of money scrolling by to the right. Hmmm what could I do with 300 billion?

Quickie

Here is a reminder for the opening date of my show in Edmonds. OCT 19, 2006. I'll be showing iconic images of americana.

Also, I predict gas prices will go up after the election and the blame will be becasue of the demand of the holiday buying season.

Just to shake it up a bit this year, I'm entertaining ideas for my traditional holiday card. No idea is too weird, believe me.

cheers.

Q and A

I’ll start off with some admissions right up front. Roller skiing is pretty darn goofy. It doesn’t look cool and there aren’t too many of us out there.

That being said, here is a list of actual questions, statements or actions that I encountered last night while skiing around town for about an hour.

“Are you a girl?” “Are you a man or woman?” “Do you crap your pants when you do that?” (Referring to going down hill.) “Are you a professional?” “Do you like that?” “Is it fun?” “Fagot!” The middle finger and horn combo. “You expecting snow?” “Get a car!” “What are those things?” Snickers and pointing from a group of corner standers. Something in Russian that I couldn’t understand. And finally, the male half a of a young couple said nothing, but made it a point to walk directly in front of me mid-block. Oh well.

I’ll address the aforementioned respectively: No. Male. No, but sometimes I feel like it. No, but I hear that there are vast sums of money in the sport and that’s why I’m practicing. Yes. Yes. The Urban Dictionary will help with the over used “faggot” in an attempt to insult skiers, cyclist and even runners. Try to mix it up! What can I say to the middle finger besides, no thank you. I’m not expecting snow, which is why these skiis have wheels. Look you fat turd, I have a car and it’s in the garage. I try to avoid its use for conservation reasons and because an active lifestyle is actually healthy. You might want to think about that and thank me now, because my insurance premiums will be funding your long-term medical care. These are roller skies. You can get a pair for yourself at Gear West. I’m not sure what you folks are snickering about. I learned my lesson and no longer wear the bright red, logo tights around town. Yeah, I know. I already admitted roller skies are goofy, even in Russian. Dude, cross walks were invented for a reason; your safety.

Burger

Greetings. Fall is here, September 11th passed with little more than W. telling us how dangerous the world is, and I have been absent from the keys.

Sitting here on my desk is a nice little brochure from Sound Transit (ST.) You know, the folks that have heaped grief upon themselves, brought bus and overpriced train service to the Puget Sound region and generally managed to survive the fickle Seattle transportation climate. Well, ST is looking for direction in the next phase of the regional transit plan. The options are, conveniently, a small, medium and large expansion of the currently planned system for the respective prices of $.03, $.04, and $.05 on a ten dollar purchase.

Dicks Drive-In Restaurant offers the Cheese, the Special and the Deluxe for the respective prices of $1.30 $1.60 and $2.20.

While all Dick’s burgers are tasty, it’s clear that the Deluxe is just a bigger, better burger. For the money, the Deluxe delivers two big beef patties, cheese and the works, for just 69% more dough than the basic Cheese.

ST claims that their deluxe will deliver the transportation equivalent for just 66% more than the basic cheese based on a ten dollar purchase.

Who doesn’t want a Deluxe?

Save this date....

Please attend the third thursday Edmonds art walk. I'll be showing iconic barbering images like this teaser.

Date: Thursday, October 19, 2006. Where: Edmonds, WA. More specific address info to come later. When: After 5pm.

the little guy

Earlier this evening...oops yesterday, the Crow was just finishing up some errands on the brown Schwinn towny . Of course, Crow was wearing a helmet for those out there who have enquiring minds. To avoid the merciless traffic of Broadway, Crow slides effortlessly through back alleys. On this evening, the Crow happened upon a vagrant denizen in the act of defacing the back wall of Henrys 24 hour doughnut shop with some sort of drunken mindless manifesto. Crow couldn’t believe it so he rode by reeaal slow. Sure enough, graffiti in the act.
Well, Crow rode around the block and back to Henry's where Crow found that Henry was actually an older, really nice asian woman who didn’t speak english so well. After trying unsuccessfully to explain that a camouflage clad ner-do-well was in the process grafting on her back wall, Crow called 911 on his trusty mobile phone. And what do you know? The man descended on that very spot with in two minutes. Imagine that.

The End of Summer

What are you doing this Labor Day weekend?

Remember, it's the organized labor movement that brought you the weekend. That's right, God may have rested on the seventh day, but if given the opportunity, big buisness wouldn't. It was the early unions that helped institute the modern day weekend.

Work is giving an employer your time or life in exchange for currency valued and traded in the market place. In other words, work is an exchange of life for dollars. The question then becomes, is it a fair trade? Something to remember on this weekend of labor remembrance.

This ain't no sugar tablet

Friends, this morality issue keeps cropping up in unusual places, but in particular, the recent debates about the plan-b pill. I heard today on talk-radio that forcing pharmacists to fill scripts, which, they were morally opposed to, was essentials forcing a leftist, liberal morality on the pharmacists. Well, in my humble opinion, a pharmacist's personal morality extends only to what they choose for themselves and maybe their family. When they impose their morality on others through limiting access to a safe medication prescribed by a doctor, then they are raising their morality to be more important than the health of their patients.

Here is a hint pharmacists, DON'T IMPOSE YOUR MORALITY on your patients.

If you don't like the plan-b pill because you donÂ’t think is moral, then don't put it in your mouth. If you can't handle prescribing the pill, then chose another profession, perhaps Entomology.

If you don't think abortion is moral, why then, don't get pregnant and if you do, then don't go out and have an abortion.

If you think praying to Allah, Christ, Buddha or the Great Grass God is moral that is wonderful. But, don't feed your clients the line of crap that (insert moral compass here) won't allow you to fill this a particular prescription.

Morality is up to you. What you choose for yourself is just that, for yourself. Forcing your values on me or others is not moral, it's just wrong.

The Thursday Beef

This photo strikes me. Also, I wanted to get something in for Thursday since some folks complained about no content. Geez!

Also, the contest for the corner photo has sadly ended with no winner. Strangely, I knew the location of the photo, since I took it, and on the way home today, I found a dollar.

Humpday update

Arrived at work on the bicycle without incident.

Grounds are for the most part dry. However, the other day the machine had a fit and spewed the espresso machine equivalent of diarrhea all over me, the counter, the stove and the machine itself.

Gov. Christine Gregoire is working on a policy of how to get farm-a-cists to simply do their job without their morals getting in the way regarding filling prescriptions for the plan b pill. How about this: Fill the script or lose you job!

Still no winner in the corner photo contest! Suckers.

Keys are still lost, however just to spite them, I bought an entirely new lock for my front door. The car keys and mail box keys are still copied.

That's it.


Crow

As the Crow Flies

A few days ago the Crow was minorly involved in a discussion about accidents and responsibility.

One side of the discussion involved the stern and firm stand of, “Don’t do this thing again.” And, “Take responsibility for what you’ve agreed to be responsible for.” The other side of the conversation involved the understanding that humans will naturally have accidents, forget keys and misspell jest about everything given enough time. Knowing that, we, (society or the workplace) should problem solve so that either the outcome of a mistake can be mitigated or that the mistake can be avoided.

For the sake of my sanity and protecting the identity of the innocent, Crow will refer to the two sides of this discussion as Stern and Understanding respectively.

Understanding noted that when a professional in Understanding’s line of work makes a mistake, people die. It’s kinda hard to argue with that. Stern noted that when you agree to sign on to Stern’s crew, you agree to being responsible for whatever occurs on your watch, so to speak. It seems that in Stern’s perspective, the expectation is clear. For example, Stern would say, “Do not lose your keys or you will pay to re-key this facility.” Understanding might say, (in Stern’s position,) “Hey, I understand that given enough time you may lose your keys, so we have done away with keys and replaced all locks with a key pad. Now, just don’t forget the secret pass code.”

Crow brings all of this to your attention because on my way to work, a Big F@#$#@ Suburban raced through a fully red-light and almost killed the Crow on his bicycle. Of course, Crow immediately thought of Understanding, and perhaps Crow should problem solve the situation so that the outcome could be mitigated. Then, Crow realized that we (in this case society) had already problem solved the shit out of the 4-way, traffic control lighted, stop line painted, paved, police patrolled, beeping walk signaled, time delayed green, yellow warning lighted, pedestrian cross walk identified intersection.

Sure, if the outcome would have been different and Crow was dead, then this would have been an accident. But there was no accident this morning. It was the Crow who was vigilant and took extra responsibility at the problem-solved intersection so that the outcome wasn’t death. Crow avoided death with the Understanding that Big F@#$#@ Suburban would likely be irresponsible. So it is to Big F@#$#@ Suburban that Crow Sternly says, DON’T RUN RED LIGHTS!!!

Circus - Rant

Happened to be out with the Pixie one day and took this photo. Actually, it was the day of the final World Cup game. The odd thing about the day was that there were virtually no people on the streets of Seattle.

Rant Warning!!! Have you heard of HPV otherwise known as human papilloma virus? It’s an STD. You should know about it, since something like fifty percent of women 18-22 years of age develop the infection after sexual contact. The numbers go up after that to the point that most doctors will tell you that by the age of 30, male or female, you're likely to have or have encountered HPV. Epidemic? Anyway, for some women, the infection persists, impacts reproductive health and can lead to cervical cancer. From the American Cancer Society, "About 3,700 women will die from cervical cancer in the United States during 2006. Cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death for American women."

I give you this background because, once again, conservative religious folks - the catholic church – doesn’t think a new HPV vaccine is a good idea even though it has a really high success rate. If administered before sexual contact and any potential infection, a variety of new vaccines currently in development are capable of virtually 100 percent effectiveness against HPV. No HPV means less cancer later and certainly less transmission in the present. The rub for the church is that the vaccine, to be effective, must be administered to young girls, and to the church, this means promoting promiscuity. PS, the vaccine has no effect on folks who are currently infected. Sorry.

Here is the grit. Religious conservatives want to impact your sexual and reproductive health by blocking a vaccine that could prove effective against the most prevalent STD out there. By blocking the vaccines use, they are attempting to limit your choice for a safer alternative if you should choose to have sex prior to marriage. By blocking the use of this family of vaccines, they are condemning yet another generation of women to HPV, reproductive challenges, and potentially cancer. And dudes, by blocking vaccines such as these, religious conservatives, will be praying for you and the warts on you cock. Yes, HPV also causes the dreaded male and female genital wart.

Two Roads

Summer night photography. If anybody knows the location of this photo, I'll send the first person who logs in a blog answer one dollar.

Weekend Blog of Death...just kidding

Crow is tired. Crow hoofed it all over Seattle today in the hot hot sun.

Shameless Crow

Arrggg, In a futile attempt in blogging this AM, I I wasted 20 minutes writing a shameless, self promoting entry. Then, I, aka Crow lost it. Actually, I should say google’s blogger tool lost it, or the crappy computer system lost it. In any event, it’s now gone likely floating aimlessly around out there in cyber-space.

So, back to shameless self-promotion. I’ve often referred folks to search the terms Crow and Crank or even Crow’s Crank. Those same folks often tell me Crow, when I search GOOGLE for those terms I’m directed to some dark porn site. Admittedly, Crow’s Crank is a dark site, but it’s the articles that are important and not just the Photography. Right?

Crap, the now-lost-post was much funnier than this one. Oh well, you’ll just have to deal. Crow’s Crank. Geofoot Photography! claw to the top!

Flow

IT"S ABOUT F@*%^&#$ TIME!!!

The FDA finally released the Plan B pill for over the counter sale...to 18 year-old women. It's a mixed blessing, because now, some Target pharmacist can't impose his or her "morality" on your sexual/reproductive health, provided that you are 18 or older. If you are not, ya still gotta get a note. Of course, you and I both know that nobody has sex prior to 18...right?

Enter managed care, which, is an entire other rant. Surfice to say, that the plan-b pill is most effective with in 72 hours of action. So, keep your doctor's office on speed-dial, and maintain a good relationship with the office staff so that they will process your request quickly!

Special thanks to senators Patty Murry and Hillary Rodham Clinton for holding yet another administration lapdog to the fire. If you are so moved, please use the links to their respective websites and send them a quick note.

For the sake of clarity, the fact that this administration wants to control the sale of an over the counter birth control at any level, is just one more example of its desire to restrict your freedom and impose a conservative, right-wing, religious moral code on to your life.

CROW

Added creepy photo for dark effect. Crow

Guess what I've removed.

You might have noticed that the small mapping icon on the right side of your screen at home, under the Blogger button, is now gone. It's gone because, like many free things out there in the world, it sucked. It was supposed to track traffic at the Crank and show the geographic location of visitors. It did not. What it did was leave a strange feeling in my gut that the some tool in a dark, basement computer layer was tracking my every computer move. I suspect the NSA is already on my tip so, I don't need any privateers.

Here are some free recommendations!

Good EATS!!

Chiso
Gorditos
Alligator Soul
Cupcake Royale

Smell you later!

Buuhhhh!

It's Monday what can I say? My fingers are tired. For some strange reason I got the cleaning bug. I cleaned, all the toilets, the showers, tubs, faucts, counter tops and anything else bathroom related in my house using Comet. It kinda makes my hands tingle.

Nice RACK and stuff!

What's up gang? So just a reminder, do not run down police officers, or shoot at them, or you're likely to have the entire Everett police department up in your grill. I spoke with my postal carrier, who happened to be walking through the area the suspect was apprehended. He was told to watch out for a large stain on the sidewalk. I guess the suspect leaked some fluids in reprisal for driving over two cops.

It occurred to me that I'm not painting a very good picture of historic Everett. So, in an effort to pull your attention away, please check out my rack. I had to use a nautical theme for it's suspension from the ceiling due to fact that I had to orient the rack on a 45 degree angle to the studs (there are many in the ceiling but only one in front of the sink.) At any rate, the rope, facilitated the delicate balancing act of getting the dam rack level. Of course, this was yet another late night project, as is most of my home improvement. Rack photographed in the lead slot.

Meanwhile in another city at another time, a more peaceful bunch sits down for dinner.



Enjoy!

Just be glad you aren't living next door to this!!

Kicking out your own walls and windows - free
Plenty of air movement throughout the house - also free
Hot rod in bushes - standard equipment!
Sticking it to your neighbors by dismantling your own house over the course of a year - priceless!

Hump day blog

Hump day blog.

Just a few items today. This photo was a true snap shot. Believe it or not it's a bunch of wild,peace loving daisies along the road outside a large plane manufacturing facility. It's too bad they didn't include a photo of the Growler!.


Another thing. Now that I have new keys (see previous posts for an explanation) the lock in my front door is on the fritz. In a flurry of frustration fueled home-handy-man excitement, last night at 9:30 I purchased a Schlage maximum security lock and handle kit. Ouch on the maxi-price and it was not an easy three step installation as claimed on the box. Needless to say, at 10pm with approximately 1000 parts spread over the floor of my entryway, I re-installed the crappy old, not-so-maxi lock and handle kit so I could go to bed without worrying about "visitors."

Sperm

So, if you find youself frozen in an ice-breg for say 20,000 years fear not!!

Keys Update

The keys, are not in the bathrobe pocket. Darn. Keys also not in Fremont, BP's house, his lawn, the House of Zorak, Pixie-mobile, any of my pockets, or in my car which is at BP's abode. Luckily, I have planned for this eventuality, and keep a master set of keys in a secure location.

IN other news, check out the Yard Dogs Roadshow! Crazy good stuff is my take on the group.

Anybody seen my keys....?

Dam it, somehow in a daze after a Saturday of drinking Belgium style ales I managed to lose my keys, again. So now, Bill P's neighbors in the prestigious neighborhood of Queen Anne must, once again, deal with my crappy stuff parked on the street until I can figure out how to fix the problem. Last time, it was my boat trailer that suffered a severe wheel problem which, caused me to leave it parked in front of BP's house for a few weeks. Sorry. To get an idea of my wheel issue, think your finger in the hole of a doughnut, rolling down the road with sparks shooting out the center. Ok, for those of you went straight to the gutter, come back. As I drug the boat and trailer behind my unlikely looking towing vehicle it sounded as though I was killing a flock of seagulls. I bet the entire city of Seattle was likely wondering what the hell was going on, as I screeched through town. Oh well, what do they know?

So back to the keys. I've got a few more places to check in the city before I go home and look in my bathrobe. Should you find them, follow the standard drill and contact me as soon as possible.

Nose Picking

Searching goggle for your last name is the electronic or blogging equivalent of a good self-serving nose pick. Here is what I found. There is lots more of me than I previously suspected. High percentages are found in NY state and Minnesota. That may explain my lust for Nordic skiing and such. Not so much CROW in the bible belt. Surprisingly, there are 11-31 crow's nests in Washington State.

So, now I'm wondering about my friends noses: CRAIGERIFIC posts a high percentage of kin in the PA area. Makes sense. PRUDOG sprouts from the south and mostly Texas. Is that right?

Exhausted with my nose and the noses of my friends, I decided to check out the nose of a politic type: BUSH. TX, NY, PA, These states are responsible for the spawn of BUSH. Checked out the name boner just for fun. Strangely enough there is an eerie, half erect phallys formed by the states IL, IN, OH, with the tip being NY.

Congratulations are in order!!!

craigerific, for buying a home, in the waning hours of your 33rd year, hats off!!!

Good job boyeeee!

And for the rest of you, I scoured the archives for the photo. Given that the craigerific is a home-owner, pending inspection, please comment on what you think the thought bubble above craigerific's head might be in the photo.

Red Alert!! Just kidding. Red Alert! Just kidding...

So, I missed a day or so of the blogging, and the whole world comes to a screeching halt, over such mundane items as toothpaste and bottled water. W notes, and I paraphrase, "...We are safer than we were before 911..." W then goes on to say, "...that the world is an extremely dangerous place and the US government will do what is necessary to keep the American People safe." I don't get it. Are we safe, or is this a dangerous place? Clearly the skies are safe, it's just that I now have to be suspicious of hair care products and chapstic. I'm confused. Wait, I feel an idea coming on... Ah yes, for a quick, concise, color coded answer to clear up my confusion about security issues, check the current threat level at good old home-land-security-dot-gov.

Just in case you didn't check out the link, pleased consider the following quote from the same site:

"All Americans, including those traveling in the transportation systems, should continue to be vigilant, take notice of their surroundings, and report suspicions items or activities to local authorities immediately."

Good advice, I'll be riding the bus later today, and I'll be sure to note and report all suspicious characters on my route. Let's see, perhaps I should just start now. There are the dudes that get out of jail and hop the bus at Pacific and Oak. Suspicious. Then there is usually some drugged-out dude mumbling into his beard. I'm sure he's taking oral notes on how to exploit the sophisticated security package in place to protect the bus riding community. Then there is the varying crew of white collar folks who race to the same seat everyday and scowl and anybody they find in "their" seats. I'll be sure to report all of them. Of course, while I'm writing all this down, I'll have to be careful conceal my activities so as to not alert any nefarious operatives to my All-American-vigilance. I hope sound transit doesn't think I'm crazy when I turn in my list of suspicious characters who ride the bus.

Hair

Taken just before Easter, this photo reveals a proud father, an unwilling child and a seasoned barber. I'm considering this photo for an upcoming show of American Icons. What do you think?

Weddings - tiz the season

So, now that I've been outed by Prudog as Crow the blogger, AKA some other last name, I might as well put a shameless plug for my PASSION. I've been a photographer for years. Some of you may recognize me from NW Race Report where I played an internet based cycling photo correspondent. My earlier years were spent behind the camera at a little paper known as the The Peninsula Gateway. I've since taken to shooting weddings, graduations, babies, parents of babies and most recently a Boy Scout Eagle Ceremony! So if you are interested, give me a Shout!

Gone Fishing

The Drug Questions

It's an odd thing to look out over you neighborhood, in particular one that is self described as transitional. For those not in the know, transitional means that the neighborhood has really good spots and really bad spots. Remember cars parked on the lawns? I'm assuming that other activities go along with that bad parking habit.

So, I was looking out over the hood last night when I saw a pimped landcruiser pull up. I didn't recognize the ride as local. LC stopped midstreet just down the block from my place. A driverside window "conversation" ensued between one of the neighbor kids and the driver of the LC. Within a few minutes a purple Cadillac, rolled on to the scene and parked on the corner opposite the LC. Evidently, the "conversation" was taking too long so the PC took a lap around the block. Upon its return, the block kid jumped into the Cady and headed off in the opposite direction of the LC.

Perhaps some directions to a local party were being exchanged? Perhaps the driver of the LC knew the block kid and they were just catching up? I don't know.

My assumption is that that the interaction I witnessed was some sort of transaction. You know, ddrruuggs. Crap, I don't want that in my neighborhood.

The question is, did I jump to any conclusions based on the limited information I saw? Did I assume that because the neighbor kid, who has weeded for me, was dealing or buying because he is black? Is fear getting the better of me?

On a side thought, it really isn't the drug dealers that cause the problems in a neighborhood, it's the stupid customers. These are the idiots who cruise the local block looking for anything that isn't bolted down to steal so they can pay the local drug buisness person.

So, any help with these questions is appreciated. BTY, Leon Berman, KEXP's Shake the Shack DJ had a bunch of CDs lifted from his truck in the central District, Seattle,WA. Probably drug related. Either that or just an extreme thirst for rockabilly music. Got info? Use this link. KEXP
Cheers

Hey World!!!

This pretty much says it all.

Grinds, Stink, all new!!

Yes, its was all new this week. Here is a quick recap of the week. Rants on lawn parking. Camaro driving. Stinky, poopy lawn comments from some shaft greaser. Zorak talking nonsense about bazacon. Grinds, soupy grinds, and my quest to solve this pesky issue including tamp pressure tests. My first attack on the current administration. Let's see, what else? Buttons. Oh yeah buttons.! Believe it or not, I'm missing a button on the Crank's dashboard. When I started earlier in the week there was a cool Rubix Cube lookin' button next to the photo import button. Now it's gone. I know I'm not imagining it because the initial post of the site was done in red. There is a green post too. Check it out for yourself so that you know that I'm not crazy....Oops, correction insert "a liar" in place of "crazy." My first thought was that this stupid button is like my keys; capable of willful disappearances. I can walk in to my house set my keys down and forget where in the hell they are for a two days. Once, I lost my cell phone in the same manner on a day that I had also turned the ringer to one beep, and a few days after my land line had been disconnected. I had to email all my friends to call my cell phone so I could locate it one beep at a time. It turned up in a bathrobe hanging in the bathroom. I don't recall how it got there, and it's not likely that it was a result of late night, drunken robe wearing debauchery. So, if any readers out there (all 2 of you) know the location of my button please send it back to me in HTML or perhaps CSS.

Things That Stink

Throughout today I'll be considering the following list: THINGS THAT STINK! First off on this list is the practice of parking your car on the lawn. So, just for the record, it is not cool to park on the front lawn!!! I'm not sure that any explanation or rational is necessary other than lawn parking is certainly in the same vein as mullets, Camaro driving and hauling your own garbage. All of the aforementioned, by the way, can be done at the same time.

So, more on THINGS THAT STINK!!! As promised. BTW, if there are any readers out there who would like to submit to the THINGS THAT STINK list, BMG.

Second on the list of things that stink is the current administration and it's flunky's desire to prevent the release of the Plan-B pill to the OTC status contrary to the fact that FDA scientists, unanimously find plan-b pill to be a safe form of birth control. The drum beat of the FDA higher-ups (puppets of W et all) is that Plan-B requires more bureacratic process before it can be sold over the counter. In other words we (substitute the current administration, the right wing conservative religions base, and folks like pill-popping Rush Limbaugh) believe that plan-b is a form of abortion.

Grinds up-date

In a word, "not-so-sloppy-grounds" this morning. I'm finding that at 2-3 clicks past medium, towards fine works well. Additionally, my tamp is more even. I have yet to figure out how heavy it is in pounds, as I don't have a bathroom scale. I can imagine squatting over a scale at some retailer with my grinds gear to test my tamp. Sales person: Can I help you? Me: No, no. I'm just gathering data here about my tamp. SP: Tamp? Me: (flustered because I've realized that the sp probably thinks I'm talking about tampons or some weird new diet) Uhhh, I'm trying to figure how hard to pack my grinds, so they don't come out soupy....douughhh. SP: You need to go now.

Dreams

For some strange reason I dreamed last night that I had left a bunch of stuff in a rented car in a location far away from my home and the rental car's home. I made a bunch of calls to try and have some-dream-one drive the car back home and bring me my stuff. As you might imagine, I awoke with no resolve.

Now I'm off to attemp a non-soggy-after-ground shot. what a nightmare. I'll let you know how that goes.

Recently I had the opportunity to photograph a family as they reacted to rain at the wedding. Kinda ironic. Rain, that is.

Bike for Peace Plug

For those interested, check out the side bar of links on this blog site. There you'll find several cool links. However, I'd like to take this opportunity to guide you to the Bike for Peace link.

Just a bit about these Hippies. I say hippies because in this modern world they have managed cast aside the normal grind of making a living to march...er ride across America in the name of Peace. Additionaly, you can imagine the hippy like smell after riding many miles a day in the hot, hot sun across the American breadbasket. Sounds Hippy cool to me.

Anyhow, Ron the leader of the group and the idea man of bike for peace is endeavoring to complete his second trans-American bicycle trek for the same reason. This morning they wheeled off to Seattle and then on to more eastern locals in the following days. But enough of me prattling on about their adventure. Bike for Peace has their own website and blog where you can read all about it.

Cheers and good luck!!

Checked out the site. You'll note that I posted the same post twice. Whatever. It will likely be the first of many errors.

FYI my talents at spelling are sub-par.

REVIEW THIS: I Bought a Brevelle 800ESXL espresso machine the other day. Can I say I was wooed by the sleek, industrial exterior and high e-praise by pseudo coffee nerds. What can I say, I'm shallow. Like any person with the opportunity to have a smooth, refined, sexy, sleek brewing machine relaxing on my countertop, I caved. I'm afraid that I may have been lured by its appearance and overlooked the innards. More on that later.

I've been obsessing about the Brevelle for quite some time now. If you work in a local retailer who stocks this unit, it's likely that I've talked to you. You know the type; "Say, what do you know about ...." William Sonoma, in Pacific Place, actually pulled me a double. Props.

So, after many brick and mortar Q&A sessions plus countless hours of internet oglery, I finally went out and picked one up. I've been having trouble however, with soggy grounds. So, I texted my super knowledgeable grinds geek in Brooklyn. A speedy text back assured me that soggy grounds aren't always bad and that he could help me through this rough spot early in my relationship with the Brevelle. "Check the grind...Perhaps a finer grind will help. Check the tamp, too heavy or too light a tamp will yield wet grounds." So, the homework for tonight is to pull, maybe, half a dozen more shots to perfect my grinding and tamping technique. So, if you at all interested in the subject of soggy grounds and this keen looking machine, stay tuned.

Ok, so I know that black is not the color that is suited for website or blog backgrounds but what the hell, I can change it later.

I've been following the Prudogblog for a while and thought if Prudog could hold down a rickety sunglass sales gig, snag a Mrs. Prudog, have a kid, collect action figures and dismember them...well perhaps I could at least write a bit for the world of web fodder.

Gotta Plug this fine website: geofoot.com

This guy does a fine job behind the camera so you look good in the final print!!!

Let's see. What do all these buttons do? Mousing over to a photo button. I have an idea what it does. Nice!

Later...I gotta get back to real work.

Remind me, Must Get Press Credentials!!!